​ Recent Works of Gordon Atuaia

PlutoQueen Earth, ruler of Solaris, was the standard for all beauty. Whenever she addressed her people she would remind them, “Privilege is reserved for the beautiful.” The lives of all who dwelled in Solaris felt the effects of this decree.

Every citizen was required to be judged by the Queen at the age of 7. The Queen believed that 7 was the age that revealed ones aesthetic potential. Through her judgments, the people were labeled as “Ugly”, “Tolerable”, or “Fair”. The Ugly were not allowed to become educated. Their jobs consisted of manual labor and grueling tasks that made them question if they were citizens or slaves. The Tolerable were given the opportunity to become educated and develop any talents their hearts desired, so long as their pockets could afford to do so. The Ugly and Tolerable were both branded with dull surnames. Those who were blessed as The Fair were treated as nobility and were allowed the honor of a single name. They were given superior education, higher wages, and the right to live closer to the castle. Though the Queen ruled alone, she often selected Fair men to join her for private dinners. Marriage between citizens of different social standing was taboo, and over time, the belief spread that a Fair child could never be born to a Tolerable family. Likewise, a Tolerable child could never be born to an Ugly family, and an Ugly family would always have Ugly children.

As far as the kingdom knew, Queen Earth had 7 daughters: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Their physical magnificence came close to that of their Mother. These royal women of Solaris were treated as Goddesses by the people of the land. But the people did not know that the Queen had an 8th daughter named Pluto. As she had done with all of her previous daughters, Queen Earth hid Pluto until she had reached the age of judgment. By the Queen’s standards, Pluto was a mere Tolerable, an embarrassment to the throne. Her existence stayed secret for fear that the Queen would die of shame. Unknown outside the castle, Pluto was given to a Tolerable family, and there she became Pluto Smith.

Her new father, Mr. Smith, was a kind and gentle man. Even as a Tolerable, he still chose to tend to the fields and farm.

One day, as Pluto helped gather the crops, she asked, “Father, am I beautiful?”

He looked up to witness her caramel hair, flowing in the wind. Its color had a red tint in the light of the sun. Gazing into her hopeful brown eyes he replied,

“Yes, you are beautiful”

Pluto felt a spring of joy within her and began to skip to home with her basket of fresh crops in hand. It wasn’t long before she could see her house. The thought of her father’s home cooked food excited her, so she began to sprint, but before she knew it she lost her footing, and fell into wet dirt. She picked herself up slowly, and turned towards the direction she came from. Mr. Smith could be seen getting closer in the distance.

Loudly she yelled, “Father, am I still beautiful?”

Even from far away, he could see her new makeover.

He laughed, “Yes, you are still beautiful.”

After a brief pause he added, “Beautiful and clumsy!”

Pluto eventually became obsessed with her appearance. She could not understand why she was labeled as a Tolerable. She began to ask everyone she could find whether or not she was truly beautiful. She asked about her beauty so often, that one day, her Father bought her a hand mirror. Its design was simple, the edges smooth, and at the bottom of her reflection, she could see the words, “Yes, you are beautiful.”

Pluto slowly stopped asking others her famous question. Instead, in moments of doubt she would seek confirmation from her beloved hand mirror. Reliably, the mirror would always show her the answer she was looking for.

One day, Pluto ran towards her father who was harvesting wheat. As her father noticed her running towards him he stopped reaping and stood smiling as she approached. Pluto couldn’t help but notice that her father was holding a new scythe. He gripped the handle with his right hand so that the tool was perpendicular to the ground, its blade resting on the floor. She suddenly felt a desire to feel how heavy it was and ask if she could try using the new tool. She wondered about the difference in height between herself and the scythe. Lost in her curiosity, Pluto tripped over her own feet, and quicker than her father could react, she fell face-first upon the scythe’s blade.

When she awoke, she was no longer in the fields with her father, but trapped in a tight space. Panicking she beat violently upon the surface and screamed for help. As she grew more desperate, her body began to flicker, and she suddenly realized that she was no longer trapped.

Now she stood atop a grave which read:

“Here lies Pluto Smith,Our Beloved Daughter”

She stared blankly, too shocked to move.Thunder could be heard roaring in the distance, and rain was pouring down heavily.

Little by little, she began to accept that she was dead, and as she did so, she felt something strange. For some reason, though she was not talking, her mouth felt like it was open. As she ran her hands across her face, she was instantly filled with horror. Mingled with her soft skin were giant holes spanning from her mouth to her ears. A nearby puddle exposed the fullness of the horror that had befallen her. She could see her tongue and teeth completely exposed, and her cheeks appeared as though they had been shredded by a fearsome beast. As she looked closer she realized she was now a woman, her body shaped as though she was ripe for marriage.

Enraged by her fate, Pluto began to curse her father for having that scythe, but eventually reached the conclusion that the Queen was to blame for her misfortune, and sought revenge.

In preparation for her family reunion, Pluto searched for new clothes and something to hide her mouth. She learned that she could pass through solid objects, turn invisible at will, and even teleport. Using her new found powers she acquired a gorgeous pearl dress which contoured her body in all the right places. She hid the lower half of her face partially with her washed hair and the rest with a large fan. Realizing she should bring her birth family a gift, she grabbed a serrated knife from a merchant before teleporting into the castle.

To her delight, she found all of her sisters relaxing in the courtyard, and not a guard in sight. Mars sat eating an apple, Venus was combing her hair with a mirror in hand, Neptune was fidgeting with her dress, and the rest were laughing without a care in the world.

She went and stood in front of her sisters and waited for them to notice her.Though surprised, the sisters were comforted by the fine dress and beauty of the stranger before them.

“Are you a guest of Mother?” They asked.

“Yes, I have come to ask you all a question.”

The sisters motioned Pluto to proceed with the question.

“Am I beautiful?” She asked.

Venus, envious of the stranger's beautiful dress, was the first to reply,

"No, you are not!"

Still hiding her mouth, Pluto unveiled the knife she had brought. She took one step closer towards Venus, and then another, and in a flash she leaped forward, slashing the Princess in half. Death claimed her with haste.

Meanwhile, the other sisters attempted to run, screaming for help, but their efforts were in vain. Pluto was able to teleport with such high speed, that all the remaining princesses were rounded up like sheep.

Her dress now stained with blood, and her knife still dripping, she asked again,

"Am I beautiful?"

Full of fear, the sisters stuttered in unison,

"Yes, you are beautiful"

Pluto no longer felt validation by such a compliment. She allowed the fan she was holding to drop, revealing her true face to the sisters.

“Am I still beautiful?” Pluto inquired.

Paralyzed by fear and disgust, the sisters remained silent.

“Am I still beautiful?” Pluto repeated.

Saturn sheepishly spoke, “Yes, you are still beautiful.”

Following suit, the rest of the sisters reluctantly agreed, “Yes, you are still beautiful.”

But it was no use. Pluto lept upon the fleeing princess and began to pass judgment upon her. Swiftly, and one by one, Pluto sawed apart the flesh of her sisters. She began at the delicate corners of their pampered lips, and moved systematically towards the ears. The screams lasted long after Pluto’s work was finished. Amused by their shrieks, Pluto picked up the mirror that Venus once held. Once again, she made her rounds to each sister, showing them the results of their operation.

“My sisters, now we can all be beautiful together!” Pluto exclaimed.

The Queen and her guards finally arrived at the scene and witnessed the tragedy that had befallen her daughters. Queen Earth could not believe her eyes. She saw Venus, cut in half, her torso only a few feet away. The rest of her precious offspring lay in a sea of their own blood, alive, but dead inside.

Pluto let out a sinister laugh as she spoke, “My gift to you, Mother.”

Before the Queen could utter a single word, Pluto vanished from the castle, her laugh echoing continuously throughout its walls.

From that day forward, the ghost ofP L U T O S M I T H became known and feared as S P L I T M O U T H, leaving her victims alive to grieve over their new faces, should they survive the blood loss.

Splitmouth continued to terrorize the people of Solaris for over a decade. Eventually, her rampage ended and the Kingdom of Solaris enjoyed peace once more.

However, many centuries later, Splitmouth returned, making appearances in cities all around the world. Her sphere of influence knows no boundaries. Even to this day, she prowls the land, searching for her next victim.